# Haaland captaincy headache – stick or twist? FPL gameweek eight dilemmas

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/haaland-captaincy-headache-stick-or-twist-fpl-gameweek-eight-dilemmas/
- Published: 2026-10-23T06:56:15+00:00
- Updated: 2026-10-23T07:37:51+00:00
- Original publisher: BBC Sport (publisher lean: Centre)
- Original article: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/articles/cq1m43jee9z5o?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=rss
- Topics: Sport

## Key points

- Haaland is fit and a leading captaincy option.
- Brighton players are delivering strong FPL returns.
- Gvardiol could benefit from O’Reilly’s reported back problem.

## Summary

Erling Haaland is fit to start against Aston Villa, putting him among the leading captaincy choices for Fantasy Premier League gameweek eight. He has scored eight times in seven league games, although he has not scored in his past four Premier League meetings with Villa.

Chelsea’s João Pedro and Cole Palmer offer alternatives, while Bukayo Saka’s injury adds to midfield concerns alongside long-term absences Dominik Szoboszlai and Antoine Semenyo. Brighton players are also drawing attention: the team has scored a league-leading 23 goals and conceded just five, with Maxim De Cuyper currently the game’s highest-scoring asset. Brighton defender Luka Vuskovic has earned defensive-contribution points in four matches, and Manchester City’s Josko Gvardiol may get more playing time if Nico O’Reilly is unavailable.

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.